The Relationship Reversal
by XX4aXX
Summary: Leonard does something no-one ever expected and Penny decides she needs to change her life.
1. Chapter 1

This is my first Lenny, I think their story needs to come to a close one way or another. Takes places just after 6.03.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters.

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"Sorry did I just hear you correctly? You're breaking up with me?"

"Yep." Leonard looked at the beautiful blonde woman sitting opposite him thinking AM I INSANE. "Penny the other night when Raj almost forced you to say I love you and you wouldn't, well I made a decision. I love you, but I want you to love me too, but if you can't perhaps we are better off without each other, meet other people, perhaps you might even fall in love."

Penny felt a tear run down the side of face; she never thought in a million years that Leonard would do this. "Is this anything to do with Alex?"

"Sheldon's grad student? No, this is nothing to do with anyone else; this is just to do with you and me."

Penny grabbed a tissue from the box that sat next to Sheldon's spot, and wiped her eyes.

"I really don't know why you are so upset Penny, I believe I may have actually done you a favour. Now if you will excuse me, I have to do some work." Leonard didn't really mean to sound so harsh but this was hurting him too.

"Leonard, I don't know what to say?"

"Penny I think this is best for us both."

"I never meant to hurt you."

"I know, perhaps it just wasn't meant to be, between us" Leonard was just holding it together himself.

"Can we still be friends?"

Leonard smiled at her. "Of course we can."

Penny could feel her heart pounding, she had never thought that Leonard would ever do this, she walked over to the door and opened it, and she turned around and saw him sitting at his computer working away. "Goodbye Leonard." She closed the door behind her and just made it into 4B before the torrent of tears that she knew would come overwhelmed her.

It was Amy that came to consul help, rubbing her back and saying. "There, there. Plenty more fish in the sea, and when your bait is a beautiful as yours is Penny, well you could catch anything you want."

Penny, who was lying face down on her bed knew that Amy was trying to be supportive, but she really did not know what was appropriate to say at times. Penny looked at her strange friend, her bestie, and it was true, she was the one that Penny phoned, not Bernadette, but Amy.

"Penny I want Leonard, why can't I catch him."

"You did, but you resisted too much, so you lost him." Amy could be so brutal at times, but never meaningfully and Penny knew that, she also knew that Amy was right. Why did she only want Leonard when she couldn't have him?

A week passed and Penny had decided that it would be best to keep a low profile, Another thing that Penny had decided was that she actually did love Leonard, and that she was going to get him back. But she needed to firstly work out who she is and what she really wants in life, can't just sit around and wait for things to happen to her, she had to make something happen and soon.


	2. Chapter 2

"You did what?" Howard placed the dumpling in his month.

"I broke up with Penny, I'm 31 years old, I am a successful in my career, and it's about time I grew up a little. If Penny doesn't want me for a future husband then I need to find someone that does." Leonard placed the cool water bottles on the table, one each for Howard and Raj, and one for Sheldon.

"Can I still be friends with Penny?" Sheldon asked as he unscrewed the lid of his bottle.

"Of course, we can all be friends with Penny, just that at the moment I would rather that I kept my distance so we shouldn't invite her over for a while."

"What about Halo night?" Sheldon asked.

Leonard knew that Sheldon hated change and Penny was his Halo Partner, this was going to be hard for Sheldon. "No Sheldon, I would rather, at least for a little while that she didn't visit us, including Halo Night."

"Go team Leonard." Exclaimed Raj.

Sheldon responded by placing his hand on his forehead and making an "L" with his fingers.

"Oh, I know what you are doing; you are hoping that she will come crawling back to you!" Howard called out. "Nice one man."

"Actually no. Penny isn't at a place where I think we can have a successful relationship at the moment, and I want more I want commitment, I want, and it kills me to say this, I want what Howard has." Leonard pointed towards Howard.

Howard looked up from his food and at everyone and just smiled, then continued to eat.

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It had been a little over a month since Leonard had broken off their relationship, Penny had spent the first day crying and the second and subsequent days re-evaluating her life and doing something about it. She had taken a look at her fridge and cupboard stockpiles and realised that as she could no longer expect the guys in 4A to feed her that she needed to learn to cook more than macaroni and cheese, so she used the last of her savings and went out and stocked her cupboards with good healthy food options, and she downloaded some recipes and started to enjoy cooking for herself.

Penny did a budget, she couldn't afford cable, so that had to go, and she worked out that she spent an enormous amount of money on wine, that had to be reduced by at least half, all future shoe and clothes purchases would only be done with money that she was going to set aside each week for that purpose, no more credit card purchases. Talking of credit cards she phoned the bank and together they came up with a repayment plan that would have her completely out of debt in six months.

So on the Tuesday night after another long day at work, Penny sat down to her roasted pumpkin, rice and lentil salad, her new favourite, and felt for the first time in a long time that she was taking charge.

But there was one area where she wasn't still in control, her career, or lack of. She was no closer to becoming an actress and really if she was honest with each passing year she was getting further and further away from that dream as she really was relying firstly on her looks, secondly on her talent.

She would think about that tomorrow, perhaps during her yoga class, she loved her Wednesday morning yoga class, it allowed her to just free her mind from her troubles and it de-stressed her like nothing else did.


	3. Chapter 3

Penny really enjoyed her weekly yoga class and really wished she could do more, but as she was now on a very strict budget that wasn't likely to happen, she had however been doing her routine at home twice a week, and she had found that it had a wonderful therapeutic quality to it for her. She finished her shower and changed into a t-shirt, shorts and sneakers and was just about to leave the studio when a flyer caught her eye.

"Become a Yoga Teacher." It stated to her in big print lettering, only $3200.00 for a 200 hour training course. Penny looked at the information; it would require her to not only find the money for the tuition but also to give up work, as it was a 5 week intensive training course. She would have get a lot more put aside than $3200.00 in order to do this course. She took the flyer anyway as she was interested, but perhaps it might have to wait for another year or two.

Her shift at the Cheesecake Factory was one from hell, at one table one of the children thought it would be fun to throw his ice-cream at her, it wasn't, and then they only left a measly $2.00 tip at the end. On another table four 15 year old boys thought it was fun to be offensive and leer at Penny, it isn't, again another measly tip, $4.00 this time.

This was the one part of her life that Penny hadn't been able to change, she had been to audition after audition since her and Leonard had broken up and nothing, not one bite, she had made the decision that acting really wasn't going to happen for her. She liked the idea of the Yoga Teacher and she knew they earned good money, especially the really good teachers, but where could she get the near $7000.00 that she needed to do the course and live at the same time. Nothing would give her greater pleasure than to quit The Cheesecake Factory.

On the following Saturday night Amy and Bernadette came to watch some movies, there was no more wine, it was strictly water with healthy snacks, such as carrots and celery. Amy was the first to mention that Penny was blooming at the moment, her skin was looking radiant and her body was that of a supermodel, good old Amy Penny could always rely on her for a compliment or two.

"But it's true Penny." Bernadette replied. "I have never seen you look so lovely."

Penny smiled at her girls. "Thank you, well since I'm cut back on the wine, and am no longer eating a diet consisting of mostly takeaway, I have lost a few pounds and I feel so much better."

"Well it shows." Amy smiled at her pretty friend as she placed in the movie for them to watch.

"So hows the boys?" Penny asked.

"Sheldon is the same as always, I do think he misses your company." Amy answered.

"Oh he does, well you tell him to come over anytime he likes I will make Spaghetti with little hotdogs for him, it's his favourite."

"I know I made it for him last night." Amy replied.

"Oh." Penny turned toward Bernadette."Berni how's Howard? How was his birthday party?"

"Great, it was shame you never made it."

"Can't be helped."

The room went silent.

"Leonard is doing well, he is working on some experiment that apparently he is getting positive results on this time," Amy stated. "and he still isn't seeing anyone."

"Good for Leonard." Was all Penny replied.

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Penny's phone woke her at 8.00am on Monday morning; she grabbed at it and saw it was her agent.

"Hello." She answered.

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Penny was sitting in Bernadette's new office; it was a far cry from working at the Cheesecake Factory. Berni was on the phone just finishing off a conversation with a colleague, she and Penny were going to have lunch together, and then Penny had to be at work by 2.00pm. Berni ended the conversation and hung up. She grabbed her bag and stood up to leave the room, Penny followed.

"I thought we would just eat at the café at the bottom of the building, the foods nice." Bernadette pressed the lift button.

"Yeah sure." Penny said as they entered the lift and the doors closed.

As they sat down to eat Bernadette started the conversation. "So what's the big news?"

"I've been offered a small part in a soap." Penny beamed.

"Oh Penny that is brilliant news."

"It's in "All My Sons.", apparently I will be playing the part of the daughter that the main character didn't know he had, it will only be for about 5 weeks, and then my character gets killed, but I get paid much more than waitressing."

"And you never know where it might lead." Berni exclaimed.

"I do actually, I'm quitting my waitressing job today, after this part is over I will study to become a Yoga Teacher, then I will have a real career."

Bernadette picked up her fresh orange juice and said. "Cheers Penny, to real careers."

Penny clinked her juice glass against Berni's. "To a real career."


	4. Chapter 4

**I actually like this chapter, and I hope you do too, it's a very important one for the story. **

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By the third week of the training Penny knew that she had done the right thing, she never felt so sure about anything before in her life. Well there was that one time before, when she realised that she wanted to spend her life with Leonard, that moment took place 5 minutes after Leonard dumped her.

So after a day of learning correct warm down methods Penny walked into 2311 N Los Robles to run smack bang into Leonard leaving the building with a very pretty brunette on his arm. She hadn't really seen much of Leonard since they broke up, once or twice they had seen each other as either was leaving or entering their apartments, but really had been able to just get away with a quick "Hi.", this time that might be not be possible.

Leonard looked at his shoes and then up at Penny. "Hi Penny."

Penny replied with a brief, "Hi." Then continued to walk toward her mailbox.

"This is Charlotte. Charlotte, this is Penny."

She smiled at Leonard and she assumed his date.

"Oh, nice to meet you." Charlotte smiled. Penny heard the accent, she had taken enough acting classes to know an "Upper East Side" accent.

"Yeh likewise." Penny shuffled her mail in her hand, _why was she so nervous. _"So you two off out on a date?"

Leonard replied no. Charlotte looked at him with a look that would burn into his soul, she obviously thought they were.

Penny pursed her lips. "Well you two kids have a good time." And with that she started the ascent to her apartment, but instead of going to her apartment she knocked on the door of 4A. Sheldon opened the door.

"Penny to what do I owe this honour?"

"Sheldon, you got a minute?"

"I was actually about to have a shower and retire for the night."

Penny looked at her watch. "It's only 6.30 Sheldon?"

"I like to get in an early night at least once a week."

"Well could I just talk to you for a little while."

Sheldon licked his lips and she could see that he was thinking about how he was going to have to change his plans all because Penny needed to talk to him for a little while. "Very well."

"Thanks." She sat in Leonard chair.

Sheldon sat in his spot and waited for her to start, any other person would probably ask how she had been, but you can always count on Sheldon to not care about the niceties of social convention.

Penny shifted in her seat. "So how have you been?"

"How have I been?" He looked at her in complete amazement, before answering her question. "I have been the same as always, oh except my dentist retired, leaving me with the quandary of finding a suitable replacement. Some people just don't think of others."

Penny smiled, she so missed his quirky take on life. "Sheldon, this Charlotte woman, are her and Leonard you know, seeing each other?"

"Well I assume that they will be tonight, as they have gone out on a date."

"Really a date? Oh." Penny looked around the room at Sheldon's neat as a pin desk and then to Leonards, it was organised sure, but not everything was labelled as it was on Sheldon's desk, then she saw that he still had the Marvin the Martian figurine that she bought him, it made her smile thinking of the day she gave it to him.

"Penny is that all you wanted to know?"

Sheldon's voice brought Penny back to the problem at hand. "No Sheldon. Charlotte is very pretty, does she work at the campus, like in the office?"

"Professor Charlotte Sheen is a highly esteemed scholar who is working at Caltech this semester. She is an amazing woman of keen and rare intelligence, so why she would find Leonard's company stimulating is beyond me."

"Ah, a Professor, low achiever in life then."

Sheldon looked at her in surprise.

"I was being sarcastic Sheldon."

"I was a visiting Professor to Berlin when I was 15 years old."

"Your point being?"

Sheldon looked at her. "There is no point, I was just stating a fact."

Penny bit her top lip, she so missed these conversations with Sheldon. "Well I'm going to be a teacher soon."

Sheldon laughed at her statement. "Surely Penny your 4 week course cannot match Professor Sheens many, many years of study."

"Hey! It's six weeks, but I get your point." She didn't really have anything else to ask and she could feel Sheldon's growing impatience. "Oh well I will leave you with your early night."

Sheldon looked at his watch. "Well I will have to make up this time somewhere."

Penny placed her hand on the door just before Sheldon went to close it. "Does Leonard ever mention me?"

"Not lately." And he closed the door.


	5. Chapter 5

Penny heard the three knocks and her name, she knew exactly who was at her door, but she didn't know why, it was only 8.00am, Sheldon never came to her door that early. The "old" Penny would have punched him in the throat; the "new" Penny had been up since 5.30am, taken a Yoga class and had returned home. On the third set of knocks she opened the door.

"Good morning Sheldon, early isn't it?"

Sheldon covered his throat with his hand.

"It's ok sweetie, I'm not going to hurt you, actually I've been awake since 5.30 this morning."

"Why?"

"Because I took a class at 6pm, you remember I'm a yoga teacher now, and I have early classes. Anyway how can I help you?"

"You have to take me to work; Leonard's sick and refuses to get out of bed to drive me."

"Leonard's sick? What's wrong? Is he going to be ok?" Penny questioned her friend.

"Yes, yes, he will be ok. But I have to get to work."

Penny looked at Sheldon, sometimes she could just shake him, he seemed to not have a compassionate or empathic bone in his body. "I'll take you to work Sheldon, but first I want to check up on Leonard."

"Very well, but be quick. I have to be a work at 8.30 this morning, I'm running some experiments and I have booked the room from 9.00am."

Penny looked at Sheldon and shook her head; closing the door of her apartment behind her she walked over to 4A striding to Leonard's door. She knocked softly the once and asked if it was ok if she came in, there was no reply. Penny slowly peaked into the room, she could see what looked like Leonard lying in his bed. She took a step into his room, she really didn't know why she felt compelled to check on him, surely Sheldon would have attended to his needs this morning and now he is sleeping, but she was there. Penny placed a hand on Leonard's forehead, he was burning up, she could fill the sweat on his brow. Next to the bed on the nightstand was a half empty bottle of water and bottle of asprin. Penny turned her heel and closed the door behind her and walked back into the living room.

"Now can we go?"

"Sheldon, sweetie your friend is ill, he is burning up and sweating. Has he seen a doctor?"

"Yes I was with him this morning."

"Not a you kind of doctor a medical doctor. Sheldon I think he is really sick."

Sheldon looked concerned. "I just thought he didn't want to take me to work."

"Ok here is the plan, I will call a doctor and get him to come out here. I will then take you to work and when I return I will sit with Leonard until the doctor gets here. Luckily I don't have any further classes today."

After dropping Sheldon at Caltech Penny returned to 4A. The doctor was due at 10am, she looked at her watch it was just after 9.00am. She checked on Leonard, refilled the water bottle and replaced it back next to his bed, he didn't stir once and probably had no inkling that she was even in his bedroom. She opened the window in his bedroom slightly, it was a beautiful day out, not too warm, not too cool, perfect weather, and Penny was sure she had read somewhere that fresh air was good for patients.

She sat on the sofa sipping her green tea with lemon watching a re-run of Happy Days that was showing on the TV, it was one of the early ones with Richie Cunningham still in it and Fonzie wasn't the main character, they were her favourites. The doctor arrived just after 10am and spent 20 minutes with Leonard, he came out into the living room and pronounced that Leonard was suffering from a very bad case of the flu; he needed lots of bed rest, fluids and care. Penny told him that she would look after him.

"Just remember if his temperature goes up just a little get him to the hospital, it's alarmingly high at the moment, anymore and it he could get very ill indeed."

Penny saw the doctor out of the apartment and went straight into the bathroom, grabbed a facewasher and some placed some cool water into a bucket, she then went into Leonard's room and sat next to his bed, placing the facewasher on his forehead. He stirred but didn't really acknowledge that she was there.

Penny looked at Leonard, he had been the love of her life and she had been too stupid to know, at the time. They could have been married, she knew that if she had said yes that time he asked, whilst they were having sex mind you, she knew he meant it, that he just backed down because she had gotten so angry with him. They could have been married, and living happily ever after, but except they wouldn't be happy, because the "old " Penny was so caught up in herself that she didn't even realise that she was letting the best thing that ever happened to her slip through her hands, the old Penny didn't know what she wanted.

She looked around the room, a room so familiar to her, it hadn't changed a bit, the Bat Signal was still there on the tallboy, the collectables were on the nightstand and her photo was still there beside the bed. Her photo? He still had her photo next to his bed! Leonard stirred and woke, he saw Penny and smiled. "Hey" he said.

Penny returned the smile. "Hey, the doctor said you have a bad case of flu, you just need bed rest, fluids and care. So you've got the bed rest, the fluids are here," she picked up the bottle of water to show him. "and I will be your care."

But Leonard had fallen back to sleep.

"I'll be your care." She softly repeated.


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry I've taken so long to update, firstly I've been thinking about what to write, but also been on holidays. Hope you enjoy this very very short update**

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By the time Amy and Sheldon arrived at the hospital it was well after 11pm. Penny was sitting next to Leonard holding on to his hand as they both walked into the room.

"Penny." Amy spoke quietly through the mask that they had all been forced to wear. "He is ok?"

Penny looked up; her eyes were full of the tears that she had been holding back, "I got so scared." and she burst into tears. Amy walked up to her and hugged her.

Sheldon stood where he was not too sure what to do, adjusting his mask to ensure it was as tight as possible, he would never knowingly enter a contagious hospital room, but this was his best friend Leonard lying there. "Penny is Leonard going to be ok?" he asked.

Penny still in the embrace of Amy nodded, and between the sobs she replied. "I was so scared."

Amy stepped back a little and looked at her. "What did the doctor tell you?"

"I called an ambulance, he was complaining of chest pains and he was shaking, and I thought he was going to die, all my first aid training went out the door."

"Penny is he going to be alright?" Sheldon asked again still not having moved further into the room.

Penny nodded her head. "Yes, apparently he has pneumonia, brought on by the Flu he had." She burst into tears once more. "What if he had died? "

Amy grabbed at Penny. "Hey, it's going to be OK, you did the right thing and he will get better."

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An hour later the three of them were sitting outside of Leonard's room. Penny was starring through the glass looking at Leonard lying there. Sheldon whispered to Amy that he had to go to the toilet and he left the two girls in the empty corridor.

Amy looked at Penny. "You're in love with him aren't you?"

Penny turned to Amy. "That obvious eh?" She took a deep sigh, "Never stopped loving him, I did all this, this change in lifestyle, well I did it for me, but I did because of him." She placed her hands up to her eyes and wiped away the tears. "Oh Amy what am I going to do?"

"Be there when he wakes up I guess." Amy replied. "Look I better get Sheldon back to his Apartment. Penny remember I'm a bit of a possum, so if you need to talk you have my number."

Penny hugged Amy. "Thanks bestie."

At about 6am an alarm went off in the room, waking Penny, two of three nurses walked into the room and asked Penny to leave, she sat outside for what seemed an age but was really only 5 minutes, she watched as people entered and left the room always with a determined look on their faces, she watched as equipment was wheeled into the room.

Finally a doctor came out and sat next to Penny, he had obviously assumed that Penny was Leonard's girlfriend so he told Penny that the next few hours were critical; and that they had placed him on ventilation because he wasn't breathing for himself, that they had called his parents and that they were on their way, and she should call someone to be with her and that she should be prepared for the worst but hope for the best, and lastly she could go back in there now.

The scene that she was confronted with has Leonard hooked up to a machine helping him breath, he had tubes in my month and his nose, she sat down next to him and took a hold of his hand. "Leonard honey, please get better, I couldn't imagine life without you, I don't want to imagine life without you."

Penny looked at her phone; she should call Amy and get the guys here, they needed to be here, she needed them here.


	7. Chapter 7

**SORRY! I've been so busy, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and thank you so much for the following and reviews, you make me so happy.**

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Penny woke with a start; the sound of the door slowly opening pulled her from her slumber, the room was dark. Penny looked up to see Beverly Hofstadter walk into Leonard's room, Beverly was looking at her son lying hooked up to the menagerie of tubes, tubes that were keeping him alive. Beverly walked straight over to Leonard and placed her hand on his face then gently bent down to kiss him, it was only then that she noticed that Penny was in the room. The two women looked at each other and nodded in a quiet hello to each other.

"Penny we came as fast as we could." Beverly's gaze returned to Leonard, her hand stroking his hair.

It was a touching love between mother and son, one that Penny never thought she would ever see from Beverly toward Leonard, and one that Leonard could over dream of.

Penny wiped the sleep from her eyes and looked at her watch, 5.12pm; she had been there all day. Thankfully all her yoga practice meant that although she woke up a little sore she wasn't as sore as she should be considering she had slept sitting up in a chair, draped over Leonard. Beverley grabbed a chair and sat next to Leonard, taking his hand, stroking it.

Penny stood up; she needed to give Beverly some privacy. "I'll just go home wash and grab some food and drink, do you want bring anything back?"

Beverly looked up distracted. "No, Leonard's father is just getting us some coffee and trying to find something decent to eat. If that is at all possible, perhaps you could just grab some toiletries for Leonard, he will need them when he wakes up."

Penny moved out from around the bed and stretched her back. "He slept well, which I think is good." She said hoping that is really was good that he slept well, she didn't know, she just needed to make conversation, anything to keep from remembering why they were there. She glanced over at Leonard lying there, and Beverly stroking her son's hair. The tears came quickly she blinked them away, opened the door and walked into the brightly lit hallway.

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Penny walked into 4B; it had only over a day since Sheldon had knocked on her door asking for a lift to work, yet it seemed an eternity ago. There were three messages on her answer phone, one from her mom, and two from work. She phoned her mom first and filled her in on Leonard's illness and then phoned work, they agreed to let her take another day off, and then give them a call tomorrow night; she loved her new job and new employer.

Under the shower Penny washed away her tears, she wasn't going to cry. After grabbing a quick bite to eat she made her way to 4A, she knocked on the door and waited for Sheldon to answer, he didn't, so she used her emergency key and opened the door, the apartment was dark. She made her way to the bathroom and opened the cabinet, grabbing at some toiletries for Leonard; it was when she saw the Luke Skywalker shampoo and conditioner that she broke down. She had to sit down on the side of the bath andshe cried and cried, she hadn't cried like that for years. After about 5 minutes she stood up and grabbed some more things that Leonard might need. She walked out into the living room just as Sheldon walked into the apartment. Sheldon looked at her in silence and she at him.

"Penny you've been crying, a lot! Is Leonard OK?" He asked.

Penny stood still and started to cry. "Sheldon." She sobbed.

It was then that Sheldon did something unexpected, he walked up to Penny and slowly hugged her.

He was silent at first, whilst Penny cried into his t-shirt, then he said quietly "He will be ok, he has to be ok, he's my ride to work." Penny smiled and looked up at Sheldon. "I love him Sheldon; he has to be ok, because I love him."


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